In an homage to a great website called Overheard in New York , I decided to post similar interesting quotes I hear while traipsing through SF's financial district or any other locale for that matter.
Today's eavesdrop:
"Oh, you said STANFORD pricks, I thought you said SAN FRAN pricks"
- 2 ladies crossing the street at California and Montgomery (SF, CA)
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Whoever Said Age Ain't Nothing But a Number...
...is full of crap.
Its been a while since I’ve posted. I have come to the conclusion that life back here in SF is slightly less interesting on a daily basis than it was in Kabul.
Rather than tales of international development in the newly democratized Afghanistan, I am resorting to writing about body aches and pains and for the first time in my life signs that I am indeed getting old.
Its actually a pretty horrible moment when such a realization sets in. For me, this moment came merely three days after my 34th birthday. I was at the gym, completing the usual routine when after trying to complete a final sit-up, I felt a muscle pull in my back and that was that. It is now eight days and two chiropractic visits later, and I find myself signing up for eight weeks of treatment to repair a strained muscle in my back. Again, this is all from doing a flippin sit-up!
The bright side is that it is only a pulled muscle and x-rays show no major damage to my back at all. The doctor is quite certain that I should be 100% shortly, but still, a sit-up precipitated this pain. This injury can only be attributed to age. While Francis once mocked me when I said I think my best days are behind me, this is yet another sign that I might have been right.
The pain has subsided a bit since my last doctor visit, but sitting in an office all day definitely makes it tighten up. This is a bit distressing as the month of March will entail a ton of sitting for extended periods of times including 3 straight days of Pac10 hoops at Staples Center (plus the flight back and forth), and a cross country flight to NYC. March madness, indeed. I also plan on posting up on bar stools and seeing a few movies. (Top of the list is Pan's Labyrinth. The brief clips that I saw during the Oscars sold me. As did the numbers of trustworthy friends and family that mentioned that I would like it. I'm also down to support the rise of the Mexican directors that has emerged in recent years (Cuaron, Inarritu, and Del Toro)).
So far this doctor has proven himself to do me some good, but I’m hoping for a miracle and to be completely pain-free by next week. OK, enough whining, but I wanted to explain why the old blog was lacking updates.
I do have major blog plans for March including some detailed blogging of the trip to LA and the PAC10 tourney, live blog of Selection Sunday (like New Years Eve when the Bruins are in it), a St.Paddy’s weekend/Natalia’s bday in NYC photo entry, and of course detailed commentary of the Bruins journey to Atlanta (good god I hope we can pull it off!!) and the Final Four.
Its been a while since I’ve posted. I have come to the conclusion that life back here in SF is slightly less interesting on a daily basis than it was in Kabul.
Rather than tales of international development in the newly democratized Afghanistan, I am resorting to writing about body aches and pains and for the first time in my life signs that I am indeed getting old.
Its actually a pretty horrible moment when such a realization sets in. For me, this moment came merely three days after my 34th birthday. I was at the gym, completing the usual routine when after trying to complete a final sit-up, I felt a muscle pull in my back and that was that. It is now eight days and two chiropractic visits later, and I find myself signing up for eight weeks of treatment to repair a strained muscle in my back. Again, this is all from doing a flippin sit-up!
The bright side is that it is only a pulled muscle and x-rays show no major damage to my back at all. The doctor is quite certain that I should be 100% shortly, but still, a sit-up precipitated this pain. This injury can only be attributed to age. While Francis once mocked me when I said I think my best days are behind me, this is yet another sign that I might have been right.
The pain has subsided a bit since my last doctor visit, but sitting in an office all day definitely makes it tighten up. This is a bit distressing as the month of March will entail a ton of sitting for extended periods of times including 3 straight days of Pac10 hoops at Staples Center (plus the flight back and forth), and a cross country flight to NYC. March madness, indeed. I also plan on posting up on bar stools and seeing a few movies. (Top of the list is Pan's Labyrinth. The brief clips that I saw during the Oscars sold me. As did the numbers of trustworthy friends and family that mentioned that I would like it. I'm also down to support the rise of the Mexican directors that has emerged in recent years (Cuaron, Inarritu, and Del Toro)).
So far this doctor has proven himself to do me some good, but I’m hoping for a miracle and to be completely pain-free by next week. OK, enough whining, but I wanted to explain why the old blog was lacking updates.
I do have major blog plans for March including some detailed blogging of the trip to LA and the PAC10 tourney, live blog of Selection Sunday (like New Years Eve when the Bruins are in it), a St.Paddy’s weekend/Natalia’s bday in NYC photo entry, and of course detailed commentary of the Bruins journey to Atlanta (good god I hope we can pull it off!!) and the Final Four.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Pop Culture Test
Yesterday, I participated in my first multiple choice test since graduate school. This test was conducted by VH-1 and was the first step towards participating in their wildly popular game show, The World Series of Pop Culture. I was in Afghanistan during the application phase of the program, but yesterday they conducted a one-day only on-line exam that would determine eligibility as a wild card team on the show. All I had to do was successfully land in the 95th percentile of applicants...and then get picked as one of the 50 selected from that pool of culture nerds. Suffice it to say, my chances are pretty slim. I did dominate the program questions when I watched it on TV last year though, so I went for it anyway.
The test consisted of 6 sections, 10 questions each. The test was posted at 7pm EST yesterday, which meant that not only was I under the gun to recall answers to some of the tough questions, I had to take the test discreetly while at work. Not the most successful test-taking strategy, but my only option.
I think I did ok, but there were definitely some questions that I had to absolutely guess at. For example, one tricky section was called "Numbers" or something. These 10 questions asked you to answer equations based on pop culture trivia. For example,
(# of straight kids Angela had on Who's the Boss) + (# of T.V. shows in the 1980's featuring a talking car)= ?
This was not an actual test question, but in this case an answer of 1 would be correct(0+1=1).
One of the tougher questions in this section was to multiply the number of seasons of Gilmore Girls with the number of seasons of CSI as of September 2006. Now, I've barely heard of Gilmore Girls and the only thing I know about CSI is that its the most watched show in TV (that's what every sports announcer tells you during CBS Sports). So that's definitely 1 of the 10 in this section that I likely got wrong.
Another section gave you a paragraph describing a show, with a few words underlined, and you had to choose the incorrect one. For example,
Arrested Development was a show about the Bluth family that owned a real estate business and is the most hilarious show ever with great characters including Bob Loblaw, Andrew Ridgely, and Tobias Funke.
Again this was not a real question, and I was forced to answer a similarly written statement about the Newhart show. No chance. I remember the show, but that's about it. At this point, I don't even remember what the statement was about, but knew whatever I put down was an absolute guess. (For those readers who haven't watched Arrested Development, shame on you. The correct selection above is Andrew Ridgely. There is a character named George Michael though. Trust me the hilarity on the show only blossoms from there.)
I feel fairly confident that I got about 70% of the questions right overall which means that I need about 10-12 of my absolute guesses to come through in order for me to get summoned to NYC. Keep your fingers crossed for me, but don't waste too much of your time. Its not looking too likely.
I will say that when the show comes on and you want to watch with someone who will absolutely dominate from the couch, I'm your guy.
The test consisted of 6 sections, 10 questions each. The test was posted at 7pm EST yesterday, which meant that not only was I under the gun to recall answers to some of the tough questions, I had to take the test discreetly while at work. Not the most successful test-taking strategy, but my only option.
I think I did ok, but there were definitely some questions that I had to absolutely guess at. For example, one tricky section was called "Numbers" or something. These 10 questions asked you to answer equations based on pop culture trivia. For example,
(# of straight kids Angela had on Who's the Boss) + (# of T.V. shows in the 1980's featuring a talking car)= ?
This was not an actual test question, but in this case an answer of 1 would be correct(0+1=1).
One of the tougher questions in this section was to multiply the number of seasons of Gilmore Girls with the number of seasons of CSI as of September 2006. Now, I've barely heard of Gilmore Girls and the only thing I know about CSI is that its the most watched show in TV (that's what every sports announcer tells you during CBS Sports). So that's definitely 1 of the 10 in this section that I likely got wrong.
Another section gave you a paragraph describing a show, with a few words underlined, and you had to choose the incorrect one. For example,
Arrested Development was a show about the Bluth family that owned a real estate business and is the most hilarious show ever with great characters including Bob Loblaw, Andrew Ridgely, and Tobias Funke.
Again this was not a real question, and I was forced to answer a similarly written statement about the Newhart show. No chance. I remember the show, but that's about it. At this point, I don't even remember what the statement was about, but knew whatever I put down was an absolute guess. (For those readers who haven't watched Arrested Development, shame on you. The correct selection above is Andrew Ridgely. There is a character named George Michael though. Trust me the hilarity on the show only blossoms from there.)
I feel fairly confident that I got about 70% of the questions right overall which means that I need about 10-12 of my absolute guesses to come through in order for me to get summoned to NYC. Keep your fingers crossed for me, but don't waste too much of your time. Its not looking too likely.
I will say that when the show comes on and you want to watch with someone who will absolutely dominate from the couch, I'm your guy.
Monday, February 19, 2007
Thanks
Thanks to everyone that sent birthday wishes, greetings, phone calls, text messages etc. this weekend. Aside from a great family dinner on Saturday, followed by yet another classic dinner at the House of Prime Rib with the fellas on Sunday, the highlight of my birthday week was getting carded by the bartender at a bar last Thursday. Well, I wasn't actually carded, but the guy did say "you're 21, right?" My response: "yeah, man, I'm actually 30 something."
As usual, I don't feel older but the number is starting to freak me out a little bit.
Crushing Arizona last Saturday was another great birthday treat as well.
As usual, I don't feel older but the number is starting to freak me out a little bit.
Crushing Arizona last Saturday was another great birthday treat as well.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Blog Referral
A good college friend of mine, world traveler, and excellent photojournalist has been doing interesting and great work in Guatemala. Check out this link if interested.
http://www.mimundo-jamesrodriguez.blogspot.com/
http://www.mimundo-jamesrodriguez.blogspot.com/
Monday, February 12, 2007
If you're feeling artsy...
here are some pictures I took at the Musee D'Orsay in Paris. I still need to tag a lot of these shots, but many of the classic Impressionists are represented (Manet, Monet, Van Gogh, Degas).
Enjoy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/youngkye/sets/72157594532747362/
Enjoy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/youngkye/sets/72157594532747362/
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Reactions
Its been about a week since I've returned home from an insane travel month and am still processing any lasting thoughts, attitudes, and perspectives from the trip to Afghanistan. Since my return, I have inevitably been asked questions from friends, family, and co-workers about "how was the trip?"
It has been difficult to come up with any quick soundbyte responses that can satisfy this question, mostly because I think I am still unsure of what my lasting impression of the visit will actually be. One of the most immediate and glaring takeaways from the trip has been a renewed vigor towards living overseas. Just after finishing graduate school in New York, the idea of living overseas did not particularly resonate. I had just finished a Masters program in American Studies and, at the time, felt that any career direction would keep me stateside. I thought that traveling would continue to be a major part of my life, but would be limited to extended holidays and vacations.
After somewhat serendipitously stumbling into this world of non-profit fundraising and program stewardship and international development, the idea of living abroad became much more tangible. Prior to this job, I didn't think I really had any specific skills that would push me into a job market outside of the US. After this experience in Kabul, along with two trips to China in 05-06, I realized that not only are there viable career opportunities for someone with my academic/professional skill set in other countries, but that I am built to succeed should an opportunity present itself.
This past January in Kabul shifted this paradigm. By about the two week mark of my stay, I started to feel really comfortable with the pace of the life there, the interactions with fellow internationals and locals (to a much lesser degree unfortunately), and realizing my capacity to work and live in such an environment for an extended period of time. I must note that while my thinking was shifting dramatically about future opportunities overseas, it was not Kabul that was specifically pulling me towards these thoughts. I think I could be ok living/working there for about 3-4 months, but after that I might want to join the insurgency movement myself.
What Kabul proved was that I had the skill set, ability, and desire to work in the developing world. Said differently, if there were a Star Search meter gauging developing world outposts, Kabul would probably only garner about "one-and-a-half stars" and I would be much more inclined to work in what I consider areas that were in the "three to four star" range (i.e. South America, Southeast Asia, some parts of Africa, Harlem).
With Michael Jordan's birthday coming next week (most people reading this should understand this reference), I am once again forced to step back and think about my own future. Time suddenly seems a bit more precious and pursuing such dreams need to happen sooner than later (MJ ain't getting any younger). Luckily, I have the necessary support and inspiration around me to hopefully make this happen.
Plus, it makes this blog much more compelling.
It has been difficult to come up with any quick soundbyte responses that can satisfy this question, mostly because I think I am still unsure of what my lasting impression of the visit will actually be. One of the most immediate and glaring takeaways from the trip has been a renewed vigor towards living overseas. Just after finishing graduate school in New York, the idea of living overseas did not particularly resonate. I had just finished a Masters program in American Studies and, at the time, felt that any career direction would keep me stateside. I thought that traveling would continue to be a major part of my life, but would be limited to extended holidays and vacations.
After somewhat serendipitously stumbling into this world of non-profit fundraising and program stewardship and international development, the idea of living abroad became much more tangible. Prior to this job, I didn't think I really had any specific skills that would push me into a job market outside of the US. After this experience in Kabul, along with two trips to China in 05-06, I realized that not only are there viable career opportunities for someone with my academic/professional skill set in other countries, but that I am built to succeed should an opportunity present itself.
This past January in Kabul shifted this paradigm. By about the two week mark of my stay, I started to feel really comfortable with the pace of the life there, the interactions with fellow internationals and locals (to a much lesser degree unfortunately), and realizing my capacity to work and live in such an environment for an extended period of time. I must note that while my thinking was shifting dramatically about future opportunities overseas, it was not Kabul that was specifically pulling me towards these thoughts. I think I could be ok living/working there for about 3-4 months, but after that I might want to join the insurgency movement myself.
What Kabul proved was that I had the skill set, ability, and desire to work in the developing world. Said differently, if there were a Star Search meter gauging developing world outposts, Kabul would probably only garner about "one-and-a-half stars" and I would be much more inclined to work in what I consider areas that were in the "three to four star" range (i.e. South America, Southeast Asia, some parts of Africa, Harlem).
With Michael Jordan's birthday coming next week (most people reading this should understand this reference), I am once again forced to step back and think about my own future. Time suddenly seems a bit more precious and pursuing such dreams need to happen sooner than later (MJ ain't getting any younger). Luckily, I have the necessary support and inspiration around me to hopefully make this happen.
Plus, it makes this blog much more compelling.
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
With Valentine's Day only a Week Away...
...its time to talk about Love.
But before I get into the post, I just want to say thanks to everybody that sent well wishes, comments, emails, phone calls, and thoughts out to me during my crazy trip. It definitely helped me get through a lot of down time that I had on the road. I also have received a lot of support for this blog (inspirational support, not financial support unfortunately), so the blogging will continue. Please utilize the comments area freely. Everybody else's thoughts and opinions only makes this bizarre interface all the more vibrant.
Interestingly, I've gotten positive feedback from two people whose opinions I honestly care about. One faithful reader, a 5'2" beauty and Greenwich Village resident, has mentioned that I should keep posting as long as I keep the sports posts to a minimum. The other, a cartoon "tracer" living in Hollywood, put no such limitations on me, so unfortunately this post is likely just for the fellas and more specifically the UCLA lads.
(Note: Sorry, kid. I promise to put together a post soon that summarizes what I think about Gavin Newsom's affair (sleeping with your bro's wife?? come on Mr. Mayor!) and whether I think Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minillo (filipina...holla) will get married.)
(Note II: Insomnia update-Its 3:23am. I went to sleep at 9:30 last night and woke up wide awake at about 2:45am. In the past, crazy jet lag recovery has made me want to walk on Geary Street and stab every other person I see, but this time its not so bad. I think I caught up on about 5 years of sleep when I was in Kabul. Who knew a ravaged war-torn city would be like a spa retreat in Napa.)
Anyway, this post is supposed to be about Love. And not The Notebook/Say Anything/English Patient kind of love, but UCLA basketball recruit, Kevin Love. (That sound you just heard is every non-UCLA hoops fan instantaneously clicking to another webpage.)
The hype machine surrounding this 6'9" high school senior from Oregron is unbelievable. I've heard tv analysts call him the best UCLA big man recruit since Bill Walton, and the best skilled center in the country, and that UCLA coach (and my homeboy) Ben Howland cried when Love signed his Letter of Intent. Unfortunately, I've only seen a couple of clips on youtube and read a bunch of articles on the kid. Apparently he's the real deal. My enthusiasm for Love is a bit tempered based on the laundry list of "can't miss" prospects that have come through Westwood and "missed" worse than a Lo Mata free throw. See O'mma Givens, Michael Fey, and Ced Bozeman (do the last six weeks of his career of good play outweigh 4 years of ineptitude?) in recent years.
Also, high school highlights are insanely hard to gauge how one's skills will translate at the next level. I clearly remember highlights of Darnell Robinson from Emeryville absolutely destroying all the Mormons and future Ivy Leaguers that the East Bay had to offer back in 1993 and him becoming an absolute stiff at Arkansas (89-78 ring any bells?). Off the top of my head, high school highlights of Reggie Bush and LeBron James are rare examples that show high schoolers absolutely tooling opponents in the same way that they continued to do immediately at the next level. The point is these highlights can be faulty. Obviously the jury is still out on Love, but all arrows seem to point to a potential that's absolutely through the roof. He can shoot it from midrange to the arc, has multiple post moves, great passer, works hard on defense (most important under our current regime), and has a high basketball I.Q. (Jay Bilas and others love this label-probably just means he doesn't shoot turnaround 20 footers or throw the ball to the other team too much. It also sounds a bit racist also.)
The most interesting analysis of his game that I have heard repeatedly from friends, bloggers, and commentators alike, is Kevin Love's ability to make good outlet passes. Uhhhh...what? That is the most random aspect of one's game to dissect since the days when the FSN guys used to rave that UCLA Center Dan Gadzuric was the fastest player on the team. Gadzuric's speed may be handy if he's planning on stealing pizzas from the Shakey's delivery guy in Westwood or trying to win a potato sack race or something, but how this translates into success for a big man on the basketball court is beyond me, especially for somebody whose hands were made of stone. It definitely didn't prevent him from going for a blocked shot any time a player did an eye brow fake on him and he ended up hacking the crap out of everyone in the Pac-10.
Back to Love and his Hall-of-Fame ability to rebound the ball and through it quickly to a teammate. Fascinating. Don't get me wrong, this could easily frustrate opponents next year with the useful speed of Darren Collison, Russell Westbrook, and Arron Afflalo (hopefully he stays one more yr) getting out in front for easy transition buckets, but I would prefer to hear that his post moves are reminiscent of Hakeem, or he is a defensive force like David Robinson. Like I said, I haven't seen much of him at all, and maybe this outlet passing thing is something to behold.
I just hope he remotely lives up to the hype and becomes a solid contributor next year. Having the immediate Frosh impact similar to Carmelo Anthony, Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, and Tyler Hansborough would not be bad either.
But before I get into the post, I just want to say thanks to everybody that sent well wishes, comments, emails, phone calls, and thoughts out to me during my crazy trip. It definitely helped me get through a lot of down time that I had on the road. I also have received a lot of support for this blog (inspirational support, not financial support unfortunately), so the blogging will continue. Please utilize the comments area freely. Everybody else's thoughts and opinions only makes this bizarre interface all the more vibrant.
Interestingly, I've gotten positive feedback from two people whose opinions I honestly care about. One faithful reader, a 5'2" beauty and Greenwich Village resident, has mentioned that I should keep posting as long as I keep the sports posts to a minimum. The other, a cartoon "tracer" living in Hollywood, put no such limitations on me, so unfortunately this post is likely just for the fellas and more specifically the UCLA lads.
(Note: Sorry, kid. I promise to put together a post soon that summarizes what I think about Gavin Newsom's affair (sleeping with your bro's wife?? come on Mr. Mayor!) and whether I think Nick Lachey and Vanessa Minillo (filipina...holla) will get married.)
(Note II: Insomnia update-Its 3:23am. I went to sleep at 9:30 last night and woke up wide awake at about 2:45am. In the past, crazy jet lag recovery has made me want to walk on Geary Street and stab every other person I see, but this time its not so bad. I think I caught up on about 5 years of sleep when I was in Kabul. Who knew a ravaged war-torn city would be like a spa retreat in Napa.)
Anyway, this post is supposed to be about Love. And not The Notebook/Say Anything/English Patient kind of love, but UCLA basketball recruit, Kevin Love. (That sound you just heard is every non-UCLA hoops fan instantaneously clicking to another webpage.)
The hype machine surrounding this 6'9" high school senior from Oregron is unbelievable. I've heard tv analysts call him the best UCLA big man recruit since Bill Walton, and the best skilled center in the country, and that UCLA coach (and my homeboy) Ben Howland cried when Love signed his Letter of Intent. Unfortunately, I've only seen a couple of clips on youtube and read a bunch of articles on the kid. Apparently he's the real deal. My enthusiasm for Love is a bit tempered based on the laundry list of "can't miss" prospects that have come through Westwood and "missed" worse than a Lo Mata free throw. See O'mma Givens, Michael Fey, and Ced Bozeman (do the last six weeks of his career of good play outweigh 4 years of ineptitude?) in recent years.
Also, high school highlights are insanely hard to gauge how one's skills will translate at the next level. I clearly remember highlights of Darnell Robinson from Emeryville absolutely destroying all the Mormons and future Ivy Leaguers that the East Bay had to offer back in 1993 and him becoming an absolute stiff at Arkansas (89-78 ring any bells?). Off the top of my head, high school highlights of Reggie Bush and LeBron James are rare examples that show high schoolers absolutely tooling opponents in the same way that they continued to do immediately at the next level. The point is these highlights can be faulty. Obviously the jury is still out on Love, but all arrows seem to point to a potential that's absolutely through the roof. He can shoot it from midrange to the arc, has multiple post moves, great passer, works hard on defense (most important under our current regime), and has a high basketball I.Q. (Jay Bilas and others love this label-probably just means he doesn't shoot turnaround 20 footers or throw the ball to the other team too much. It also sounds a bit racist also.)
The most interesting analysis of his game that I have heard repeatedly from friends, bloggers, and commentators alike, is Kevin Love's ability to make good outlet passes. Uhhhh...what? That is the most random aspect of one's game to dissect since the days when the FSN guys used to rave that UCLA Center Dan Gadzuric was the fastest player on the team. Gadzuric's speed may be handy if he's planning on stealing pizzas from the Shakey's delivery guy in Westwood or trying to win a potato sack race or something, but how this translates into success for a big man on the basketball court is beyond me, especially for somebody whose hands were made of stone. It definitely didn't prevent him from going for a blocked shot any time a player did an eye brow fake on him and he ended up hacking the crap out of everyone in the Pac-10.
Back to Love and his Hall-of-Fame ability to rebound the ball and through it quickly to a teammate. Fascinating. Don't get me wrong, this could easily frustrate opponents next year with the useful speed of Darren Collison, Russell Westbrook, and Arron Afflalo (hopefully he stays one more yr) getting out in front for easy transition buckets, but I would prefer to hear that his post moves are reminiscent of Hakeem, or he is a defensive force like David Robinson. Like I said, I haven't seen much of him at all, and maybe this outlet passing thing is something to behold.
I just hope he remotely lives up to the hype and becomes a solid contributor next year. Having the immediate Frosh impact similar to Carmelo Anthony, Greg Oden, Kevin Durant, and Tyler Hansborough would not be bad either.
Monday, February 5, 2007
Brazil, Italy, France, U.A.E.??
The one night I was in Dubai last week, the UAE defeated Oman to win their first-ever Gulf Cup competition. This competition is a bi-annual tournament (I think) featuring all the countries in the Persian Gulf region. I watched highlights of the 1-0 victory that night and pictures of the street celebrations are attached.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/youngkye/sets/72157594519763625/
Interesting fact: UAE is coached by Frenchman Bruno Metsu, who I remember from the 2002 World Cup as he coached Senegal into the quarterfinals that year. They opened the Copa by defeating France 1-0, a game I was lucky enough to attend.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/youngkye/sets/72157594519763625/
Interesting fact: UAE is coached by Frenchman Bruno Metsu, who I remember from the 2002 World Cup as he coached Senegal into the quarterfinals that year. They opened the Copa by defeating France 1-0, a game I was lucky enough to attend.
Back Stateside....now comes the hard part
The KLM return flight back to SF was not as magical as the Dubai-Amsterdam leg. The flight was full, deodorant was at a minimal throughout the economy class section, and the guy next to me continued to jab his elbow into my side like he was Dennis Rodman positioning for a rebound.
The good news was that upon landing, all three of my checked bags were among the first 20 bags out of the chute allowing me to make a quick getaway through customs and arrive at Quoc's pad in plenty of time for snacks, a beer, and betting before kickoff. The bad news (and I was warned about this from folks in Kabul), after customs, I was pulled aside and forced through a detailed search by Homeland Security at the final checkpoint. Apparently, something about traveling from Kabul to Amsterdam to SF raises some flags. I wonder why? As I got stopped, I realized that I could have simply cut left and out the door and onto freedom, but who knows if Jack Bauer and the "eyes in the sky were watching". I also had nothing to hide and was feeling pretty giddy about finally getting home, so wasn't too stressed about it.
I must add that the search was only a baggage search and not a rubber gloves, hands-on inspection...which reminds me. While I was waiting to board the flight in Amsterdam, I saw a woman getting frisked by a female security person after setting off the metal scanner during the boarding process. I have never seen such frisking without paying $10 on pay-per-view. The lady placed her fingers on the inside of the woman's waitband and slid her fingers along her waist. She then did the pat-down on both legs, but not just a pat like when you're putting the finishing touches on a sand castle at the beach, but a two-hand squeeze and rub from her ankles all the way to her armpits. The woman didn't even flinch which was amazing.
OK...Back to me....the security guy (badge name "Wong") asked me to put my backpack, computer case, and camera bag on the table in front of him. He proceeded to ask me questions about the trip which I couldn't decipher as small talk or interrogative in an effort to gain info that he could later use to prosecute me or something.
Wong: Did you pack everything yourself?
Me: Yup.
Wong: How much money are you bringing back?
Me: Zero. I'm broke. (See previous Amsterdam Casino post for further details on this point.)
Wong: How long were you in Afghanistan?
Me: from January 7th to the 30th.
Wong: How many days is that?
Me: (to self) what is this the SAT's? come on, Wong. We both know your math skills are better than mine.
Me: (to Wong) 23 days.
Wong: Do you smoke cigars or cigarettes?
Me: Nope.
Wong: then why do you have a lighter in your backpack?
(cue dramtic music)
Me: Uhhh, well I uhhh.... usually use this backpack for everything, so I uhh....probably was holding the lighter for a friend.... as we were going to a football game....or something....maybe....I think?
Wong: (immediately pulls out a bootleg box set of Weeds: the Complete Season from the backpack) Weeds: The Complete Season?? I've never even heard of it.
Me: (coolly) yeah, its a Showtime show....pretty funny. [at this point I'm expecting the questioning to get tougher and I feel my palms beginning to get clammy. I remind you, I have absolutely nothing to be worried about. He could have brought out the dogs, robots, whatever and they would have found nothing, yet I was getting nervous. punks.]
Wong: Yeah well, I've never even seen Lost.
Me: (trying to sound chummy) oh Lost...yeah I watched the first season. It was pretty good then it started to get lame and straying into too many plots. (have I said too much?)
Wong: I watch Deadwood.
Me: (who gives a F***!? Kickoff is less than an hour away homie!) Haven't seen it, but people seem to rave about it. (do people actually rave about it? I know zero people who watch this show, but hope to appeal to his good side by praising his potential for gauging the quality of a cable drama series.)
Wong: (opening my camera bag) you really should have a cover for this camera.
Me: Yeah, I know.
Wong: (points to my big roller suitcases) and what's in those?
Me: clothes.....and a couple of carpets I got in Kabul.
Wong: That's it?
Me: uhhh....yup.
Wong: OK...enjoy the rest of your day (waves me through)
Me: (SWEET!) that's it? ok, you uhhh....enjoy Deadwood.
Wong chuckles and I zoom out of there. Those dudes really know how to ruin a smooth exit from the airport that's for sure.
Besides this awkward exchange, the worst part of returning home is happening as we speak. (check time of this post) I have always had problems with jetlag when I get back from long international trips. I know everyone gets jetlagged, but I seem to get it much worse. Everbody in the office travels a bunch and I always ask about how they're feeling immediately when they return. Based on this empiricial data, I am always amazed by their resilience. For example, its 4:15am right now and I doubt I will fall back asleep before heading to work at 8am. I'm so wide awake right now, I could play a full 90 minute soccer game for sure. I'll be mess at the office by 11am and will sound like a moron when answering the "how was the trip?" questions.
Maybe I'll watch an episode of Deadwood on In-Demand right now to kill some time.
The good news was that upon landing, all three of my checked bags were among the first 20 bags out of the chute allowing me to make a quick getaway through customs and arrive at Quoc's pad in plenty of time for snacks, a beer, and betting before kickoff. The bad news (and I was warned about this from folks in Kabul), after customs, I was pulled aside and forced through a detailed search by Homeland Security at the final checkpoint. Apparently, something about traveling from Kabul to Amsterdam to SF raises some flags. I wonder why? As I got stopped, I realized that I could have simply cut left and out the door and onto freedom, but who knows if Jack Bauer and the "eyes in the sky were watching". I also had nothing to hide and was feeling pretty giddy about finally getting home, so wasn't too stressed about it.
I must add that the search was only a baggage search and not a rubber gloves, hands-on inspection...which reminds me. While I was waiting to board the flight in Amsterdam, I saw a woman getting frisked by a female security person after setting off the metal scanner during the boarding process. I have never seen such frisking without paying $10 on pay-per-view. The lady placed her fingers on the inside of the woman's waitband and slid her fingers along her waist. She then did the pat-down on both legs, but not just a pat like when you're putting the finishing touches on a sand castle at the beach, but a two-hand squeeze and rub from her ankles all the way to her armpits. The woman didn't even flinch which was amazing.
OK...Back to me....the security guy (badge name "Wong") asked me to put my backpack, computer case, and camera bag on the table in front of him. He proceeded to ask me questions about the trip which I couldn't decipher as small talk or interrogative in an effort to gain info that he could later use to prosecute me or something.
Wong: Did you pack everything yourself?
Me: Yup.
Wong: How much money are you bringing back?
Me: Zero. I'm broke. (See previous Amsterdam Casino post for further details on this point.)
Wong: How long were you in Afghanistan?
Me: from January 7th to the 30th.
Wong: How many days is that?
Me: (to self) what is this the SAT's? come on, Wong. We both know your math skills are better than mine.
Me: (to Wong) 23 days.
Wong: Do you smoke cigars or cigarettes?
Me: Nope.
Wong: then why do you have a lighter in your backpack?
(cue dramtic music)
Me: Uhhh, well I uhhh.... usually use this backpack for everything, so I uhh....probably was holding the lighter for a friend.... as we were going to a football game....or something....maybe....I think?
Wong: (immediately pulls out a bootleg box set of Weeds: the Complete Season from the backpack) Weeds: The Complete Season?? I've never even heard of it.
Me: (coolly) yeah, its a Showtime show....pretty funny. [at this point I'm expecting the questioning to get tougher and I feel my palms beginning to get clammy. I remind you, I have absolutely nothing to be worried about. He could have brought out the dogs, robots, whatever and they would have found nothing, yet I was getting nervous. punks.]
Wong: Yeah well, I've never even seen Lost.
Me: (trying to sound chummy) oh Lost...yeah I watched the first season. It was pretty good then it started to get lame and straying into too many plots. (have I said too much?)
Wong: I watch Deadwood.
Me: (who gives a F***!? Kickoff is less than an hour away homie!) Haven't seen it, but people seem to rave about it. (do people actually rave about it? I know zero people who watch this show, but hope to appeal to his good side by praising his potential for gauging the quality of a cable drama series.)
Wong: (opening my camera bag) you really should have a cover for this camera.
Me: Yeah, I know.
Wong: (points to my big roller suitcases) and what's in those?
Me: clothes.....and a couple of carpets I got in Kabul.
Wong: That's it?
Me: uhhh....yup.
Wong: OK...enjoy the rest of your day (waves me through)
Me: (SWEET!) that's it? ok, you uhhh....enjoy Deadwood.
Wong chuckles and I zoom out of there. Those dudes really know how to ruin a smooth exit from the airport that's for sure.
Besides this awkward exchange, the worst part of returning home is happening as we speak. (check time of this post) I have always had problems with jetlag when I get back from long international trips. I know everyone gets jetlagged, but I seem to get it much worse. Everbody in the office travels a bunch and I always ask about how they're feeling immediately when they return. Based on this empiricial data, I am always amazed by their resilience. For example, its 4:15am right now and I doubt I will fall back asleep before heading to work at 8am. I'm so wide awake right now, I could play a full 90 minute soccer game for sure. I'll be mess at the office by 11am and will sound like a moron when answering the "how was the trip?" questions.
Maybe I'll watch an episode of Deadwood on In-Demand right now to kill some time.
Sunday, February 4, 2007
Not Even KLM is Immune
I am making the long journey home and am sitting in the Amsterdam airport writing this post. Did you know that along with their liberal social policies, world class soccer, and wooden shoes, Amsterdam is home to the only airport that I have been to that has a full casino in it? Not just slots like Vegas, but blackjack and roulette.
Since I had time to kill and I'm feeling the gambling surge with the Super Bowl a mere 12 hours away, I hit the tables and quickly turned 25 Euros....into zero. Just like in Vegas I mourned the loss over a plate of steak and eggs, but instead it was McDonalds coke and fries.
Making matters worse, the flight is delayed an hour meaning that its a little touch-and-go whether I will arrive to SFO in time for kickoff.
Also just read that the Bruins won by 50 or so points over the Oreg. ST. Beavers. Nice.
Since I had time to kill and I'm feeling the gambling surge with the Super Bowl a mere 12 hours away, I hit the tables and quickly turned 25 Euros....into zero. Just like in Vegas I mourned the loss over a plate of steak and eggs, but instead it was McDonalds coke and fries.
Making matters worse, the flight is delayed an hour meaning that its a little touch-and-go whether I will arrive to SFO in time for kickoff.
Also just read that the Bruins won by 50 or so points over the Oreg. ST. Beavers. Nice.
Thursday, February 1, 2007
The Daly City of the Middle East and other Random Musings
I am waiting for my 7 hour flight to Amsterdam, immediately followed by a 1 hr flight to Paris. When inspired, I plan to write any thoughts I have into this Word document and then paste into the blog when I can. The following thoughts may be pretty random.
7:35am
Besides the crazy Disneyland/Las Vegas feel that Dubai has, the most striking thing about this place is the number of Filipinos working in the service industry here. Every bartender, waitress, hostess, bellhop, mall worker, and concierge is Filipino/a.
For that reason, its pretty convenient since they all speak English, but they tend to use the word “sir” after every other word. It reminds of a time I was playing golf in Cebu when Richie and I were traveling through Southeast Asia in 1999 I think. My cousin Ronnie took us to play 9 holes at his club. We each had caddies. My caddy was this teenage girl. Now that I think about it, they all seemed to be teenage girls.
Since I’m a pretty pathetic golfer (with a sweet swing though), every tee shot, my caddies would say “O.B., sir.” Translated, this means “you just hit another ball down the ravine, I have no chance of finding it, clearly its unplayable, you’re terrible….and you’re not really Filipino…..sir.”
Filipinos seem to comprise about 80-90% of the local service industry. I remember learning that Filipinos working abroad throughout the world remit a significant portion of their salaries back home to their families still in the Philippines. Annually, this amount represents a significant portion of their GNP. Their biggest export continues to be labor.
7:46am
They are now boarding all Elite Club, Gold status, blah blah blah folks on to the plane. In think everyone has boarded besides me…
7:57am
Now seated in 40J on a KLM flight to Amsterdam. KLM is awesome. They have screens at each seat ala Jet Blue except that they have movies, tv shows, games and stuff. I saw Jackass Number Two on the way out to Dubai. It didn’t seem to be censored, at least not the cursing, which I appreciated. love the cursing.
Leg room is good. Nobody else in my row yet, could be ok.
8:00am
Dutch steward just made an announcement that flight is pretty light. Sweet. The Dutch are the best. I remember watching the Portugal-Netherlands game with some Dutch folks in a great beer hall in Cologne this past summer. Easily the most fun Euro group to watch a World Cup soccer game with. Brutal game though, I think there were 3 red cards and of course Cristiano Ronaldo was flopping around the field like a fish out of water….I think he hit the game winning penalty kick too. chump.
8:05am
KLM is still money. Should I get a cocktail? Its 8:05pm on my computer clock but 8am local time….I guess it depends on the movie.
8:10am
7 hours and 5 minute flight. About to take off.
8:29am
Had a great view of the planes lining up to take off. I can’t believe that Stace flies planes for a living. This is the same guy that I first met at the Hedrick dorms because he and Garland used to have Coors Light Party Balls in their dorm rooms….party balls. Hilarious. The first time I saw one of those was when I was in high school and saw an empty party ball wedged into a basketball hoop. Classic.
8:34am
Conceivably, I could watch three tv’s at once since my row is empty…sports book style. That is if I liked cricket.
11:20am
Just read the International Herald Tribune that KLM graciously distributed. The following things stood out in the Sports section:
1) like they’re trying to provoke me, the paper informs me that UCLA lost to Stanford this past Sunday. I already knew this and did not want to be reminded. No worries. Losing to Stanford in Palo Alto in January is no big deal. Ben Howland will coach up the boys and use this loss as a lesson. We’ll be better in March…when it counts.
2) On the Transactions section, I found out Reggie Bush was fined $5K for taunting versus Chicago. I wonder what he did. I’ve seen zero highlights of this game. I think he had an 80 yard TD, right? By the way, I think I like the Bears and the points. Tough to rely on a Manning in a huge spot.
3) Edmonton of the Canadian Football League just signed WR Taco Wallace. I wonder if he’s related to Seattle QB Seneca Wallace. I say probably.
4) Toronto is in first place in the NBA’s Atlantic Division. What??
5) Lakers are in 2nd place in the Pacific. Sweet. Too bad they’re 9 games behind Phoenix. An 82 percent winning percentage is insane.
***4 more flight hours left***
I just watched an episode of The Office:US version. I am a big fan of the UK version, maybe one of my top four all-time sitcoms with Arrested Development, Seinfeld, and Simpsons, and Cheers. I must say the US version is pretty good too.
Also, saw an episode of the Simpsons… the Sherry Bobbins one.
Just finished You, Me, and Dupree. I feel asleep during the middle part (as I am known to do). Pretty crappy. The three main actors have been in other classics though….Dillon in Something About Mary….Kate Hudson as Penny Lane in Almost Famous…Owen Wilson in Wedding Crashers.
12:55pm—Amsterdam airport
I may have timed the connecting flight to Paris perfectly. I just got to the terminal with about 40 minutes before the next leg takes off. I just hope my luggage makes the transfer as well. Unfortunately, there is no time to leave the airport and have a “cup of coffee” at a local coffee shop.
This airport is pretty nice. Periodically, they are making announcement like “John Smith, you are delaying the flight. Please board immediately at Gate E19. We will proceed to unload your luggage.” That’s a pretty good warning.
One time, Eric and I were at the airport waiting for a flight back to SF or LA and were watching Monday Night Football at the airport bar to kill time. Just outside of our departure gate, mind you. Unfortunately, we got no warnings and the plane took off without us. Luckily, those flights run hourly but still we didn’t even have a chance.
This next leg is on Air France, a part of the KLM/Northwest conglomerate. Hopefully, they are up to the KLM standard, but I doubt it.
1:05pm
It will be interesting how the language thing goes in Paris. Natalia may know a little, but I know nothing. Hopefully, the Spanish and English will be enough. It’s funny that I was never worried about language issues when I was in Kabul. I knew I would be pretty isolated among English speakers. Unfortunately, this also made me a bit lazy and I didn’t really even try to pick up much Dari. Just like China, I only know Hello and Thank you.
I also have no idea what time zone my body is supposed to be on. I think I am used to Kabul time, but have no idea how that translates to Western Europe. Feeling pretty good now and hopefully I can power through the day. I will have been on a plane or in an airport for about 15 of the last 30 hours.
7:35am
Besides the crazy Disneyland/Las Vegas feel that Dubai has, the most striking thing about this place is the number of Filipinos working in the service industry here. Every bartender, waitress, hostess, bellhop, mall worker, and concierge is Filipino/a.
For that reason, its pretty convenient since they all speak English, but they tend to use the word “sir” after every other word. It reminds of a time I was playing golf in Cebu when Richie and I were traveling through Southeast Asia in 1999 I think. My cousin Ronnie took us to play 9 holes at his club. We each had caddies. My caddy was this teenage girl. Now that I think about it, they all seemed to be teenage girls.
Since I’m a pretty pathetic golfer (with a sweet swing though), every tee shot, my caddies would say “O.B., sir.” Translated, this means “you just hit another ball down the ravine, I have no chance of finding it, clearly its unplayable, you’re terrible….and you’re not really Filipino…..sir.”
Filipinos seem to comprise about 80-90% of the local service industry. I remember learning that Filipinos working abroad throughout the world remit a significant portion of their salaries back home to their families still in the Philippines. Annually, this amount represents a significant portion of their GNP. Their biggest export continues to be labor.
7:46am
They are now boarding all Elite Club, Gold status, blah blah blah folks on to the plane. In think everyone has boarded besides me…
7:57am
Now seated in 40J on a KLM flight to Amsterdam. KLM is awesome. They have screens at each seat ala Jet Blue except that they have movies, tv shows, games and stuff. I saw Jackass Number Two on the way out to Dubai. It didn’t seem to be censored, at least not the cursing, which I appreciated. love the cursing.
Leg room is good. Nobody else in my row yet, could be ok.
8:00am
Dutch steward just made an announcement that flight is pretty light. Sweet. The Dutch are the best. I remember watching the Portugal-Netherlands game with some Dutch folks in a great beer hall in Cologne this past summer. Easily the most fun Euro group to watch a World Cup soccer game with. Brutal game though, I think there were 3 red cards and of course Cristiano Ronaldo was flopping around the field like a fish out of water….I think he hit the game winning penalty kick too. chump.
8:05am
KLM is still money. Should I get a cocktail? Its 8:05pm on my computer clock but 8am local time….I guess it depends on the movie.
8:10am
7 hours and 5 minute flight. About to take off.
8:29am
Had a great view of the planes lining up to take off. I can’t believe that Stace flies planes for a living. This is the same guy that I first met at the Hedrick dorms because he and Garland used to have Coors Light Party Balls in their dorm rooms….party balls. Hilarious. The first time I saw one of those was when I was in high school and saw an empty party ball wedged into a basketball hoop. Classic.
8:34am
Conceivably, I could watch three tv’s at once since my row is empty…sports book style. That is if I liked cricket.
11:20am
Just read the International Herald Tribune that KLM graciously distributed. The following things stood out in the Sports section:
1) like they’re trying to provoke me, the paper informs me that UCLA lost to Stanford this past Sunday. I already knew this and did not want to be reminded. No worries. Losing to Stanford in Palo Alto in January is no big deal. Ben Howland will coach up the boys and use this loss as a lesson. We’ll be better in March…when it counts.
2) On the Transactions section, I found out Reggie Bush was fined $5K for taunting versus Chicago. I wonder what he did. I’ve seen zero highlights of this game. I think he had an 80 yard TD, right? By the way, I think I like the Bears and the points. Tough to rely on a Manning in a huge spot.
3) Edmonton of the Canadian Football League just signed WR Taco Wallace. I wonder if he’s related to Seattle QB Seneca Wallace. I say probably.
4) Toronto is in first place in the NBA’s Atlantic Division. What??
5) Lakers are in 2nd place in the Pacific. Sweet. Too bad they’re 9 games behind Phoenix. An 82 percent winning percentage is insane.
***4 more flight hours left***
I just watched an episode of The Office:US version. I am a big fan of the UK version, maybe one of my top four all-time sitcoms with Arrested Development, Seinfeld, and Simpsons, and Cheers. I must say the US version is pretty good too.
Also, saw an episode of the Simpsons… the Sherry Bobbins one.
Just finished You, Me, and Dupree. I feel asleep during the middle part (as I am known to do). Pretty crappy. The three main actors have been in other classics though….Dillon in Something About Mary….Kate Hudson as Penny Lane in Almost Famous…Owen Wilson in Wedding Crashers.
12:55pm—Amsterdam airport
I may have timed the connecting flight to Paris perfectly. I just got to the terminal with about 40 minutes before the next leg takes off. I just hope my luggage makes the transfer as well. Unfortunately, there is no time to leave the airport and have a “cup of coffee” at a local coffee shop.
This airport is pretty nice. Periodically, they are making announcement like “John Smith, you are delaying the flight. Please board immediately at Gate E19. We will proceed to unload your luggage.” That’s a pretty good warning.
One time, Eric and I were at the airport waiting for a flight back to SF or LA and were watching Monday Night Football at the airport bar to kill time. Just outside of our departure gate, mind you. Unfortunately, we got no warnings and the plane took off without us. Luckily, those flights run hourly but still we didn’t even have a chance.
This next leg is on Air France, a part of the KLM/Northwest conglomerate. Hopefully, they are up to the KLM standard, but I doubt it.
1:05pm
It will be interesting how the language thing goes in Paris. Natalia may know a little, but I know nothing. Hopefully, the Spanish and English will be enough. It’s funny that I was never worried about language issues when I was in Kabul. I knew I would be pretty isolated among English speakers. Unfortunately, this also made me a bit lazy and I didn’t really even try to pick up much Dari. Just like China, I only know Hello and Thank you.
I also have no idea what time zone my body is supposed to be on. I think I am used to Kabul time, but have no idea how that translates to Western Europe. Feeling pretty good now and hopefully I can power through the day. I will have been on a plane or in an airport for about 15 of the last 30 hours.
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